Temporal changes in the level of infestation of Simulium ornatum Meigen (complex) (Simuliidae: Diptera) larvae by the endosymbiotic fungus Harpella melusinae Lichtwardt (Harpellales: Trichomycetes)

The fungus Harpella melusinae (Harpellales: Trichomycetes) is obligately associated with the midguts of larval Simuliidae (Diptera). The level of infestation of a population of Simulium ornatum by H. melusinae was monitored at a stream in Hampshire, England. Significant temporal changes in the level of infestation were recorded during monthly and weekly collections; a twenty-fold increase being recorded over a nine-day period. Possible mechanisms by which these changes occur are discussed.     

Behavioral and hormonal aspects of reproduction in captive goeldi’s monkeys (Callimico goeldii) in a comparative and evolutionary context

The fate of most nonhuman primate species is intimately related to man. The increasing encroachment on the natural habitat has resulted in the decimation and even near extinction of some species. Along with this development, the basic concept in many modern zoos has changed from one of merely display to self-perpetuating units. Primate research facilities are orienting their research programs towards reproductive physiology and behavior in an effort to provide basic knowledge of reproduction in these species. This increased emphasis in the area of reproductive biology and the various efforts to improve breeding of these mostly endangered primates in captivity has stimulated the author to write this review. It represents an attempt to provide the reader with basic background information relating to the endocrinology and behavior of reproduction in the clawed New World monkeys as it exists at the time of publication. The intermediate evolutionary position ofCallimico goeldii between the clawed New World monkeys and the ‘true New World monkeys’ and our relatively poor knowledge about reproduction and behavior in this particular species fully justifies the focus on Goeldi’s monkey in this essay. This review is an attempt to provide a brief history of previous studies but also the basis for research in the future. The current status of knowledge of the small-bodied clawed monkeys is also discussed in an evolutionary context, with an emphasis on the different reproductive strategies in this dynamic group of primates. The outcome, not surprisingly, confirms the unique position ofCallimico goeldii in its social, ecological, and evolutionary environment.     

Bi-directional inflorescence development inArabidopsis thaliana: Acropetal initiation of flowers and basipetal initiation of paraclades

In this study we investigated Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. inflorescence development by characterizing morphological changes at the shoot apex during the transition to flowering. Sixteen-hour photoperiods were used to synchronously induce flowering in vegetative plants grown for 30 d in non-inductive 8-h photoperiods. During the first inductive cycle, the shoot apical meristem ceased producing leaf primordia and began to produce flower primordia. The differentiation of paraclades (axillary flowering shoots), however, did not occur until after the initiation of multiple flower primordia from the shoot apical meristem. Paraclades were produced by the basipetal activation of buds from the axils of leaf primordia which had been initiated prior to photoperiodic induction. Concurrent with the activation of paraclades was the partial suppression of paraclade-associated leaf primordia, which became bract leaves. The suppression of bract-leaf primordia and the abrupt initiation of flower primordia during the first inductive photoperiod is indicative of a single phase change during the transition to flowering in photoperiodically induced Arabidopsis. Morphogenetic changes characteristic of the transition to flowering in plants grown continuously in 16-h photoperiods were qualitatively equivalent to the changes observed in plants which were photoperiodically induced after 30 d. These results suggest that Arabidopsis has only two phases of development, a vegetative phase and a reproductive phase; and that the production of flower primordia, the differentiation of paraclades from the axils of pre-existing leaf primordia and the elongation of internodes all occur during the reproductive phase.     

UDP-glucose dehydrogenase from bovine liver: primary structure and relationship to other dehydrogenases.

The primary structure of bovine liver UDP-glucose dehydrogenase (UDPGDH), a hexameric, NAD(+)-linked enzyme, has been determined at the protein level. The 52-kDa subunits are composed of 468 amino acid residues, with a free N-terminus and a Ser/Asn microhetergeneity at one position. The sequence shares 29.6% positional identity with GDP-mannose dehydrogenase from Pseudomonas, confirming a similarity earlier noted between active site peptides. This degree of similarity is comparable to the 31.1% identity vs. the UDPGDH from type A Streptococcus. Database searching also revealed similarities to a hypothetical sequence from Salmonella typhimurium and to "UDP-N-acetyl-mannosaminuronic acid dehydrogenase" from Escherichia coli. Pairwise identities between bovine UDPGDH and each of these sequences were all in the range of approximately 26-34%. Multiple alignment of all 5 sequences indicates common ancestry for these 4-electron-transferring enzymes. There are 27 strictly conserved residues, including a cysteine residue at position 275, earlier identified by chemical modification as the expected catalytic residue of the second half-reaction (conversion of UDP-aldehydoglucose to UDP-glucuronic acid), and 2 lysine residues, at positions 219 and 338, one of which may be the expected catalytic residue for the first half-reaction (conversion of UDP-glucose to UDP-aldehydoglucose). A GXGXXG pattern characteristic of the coenzyme-binding fold is found at positions 11-16, close to the N-terminus as with "short-chain" alcohol dehydrogenases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Getting to the root of the problem: new evidence for the use of plant root foods in Mesolithic hunter-gatherer subsistence in Europe

Vegetation History and Archaeobotany - This paper presents new evidence for the harvesting of edible plant roots and tubers at Northton, a Mesolithic hunter-gatherer site on Harris, in the Western...     

Effect of Planting Unit Size and Sediment Stabilization on Seagrass Transplants in Western Australia

Abstract The effect of increasing planting unit size and stabilizing sediment was examined for two seagrass planting methods at Carnac Island, Western Australia in 1993. The staple method (sprigs) was used to transplant Amphibolis griffithii (J. M. Black) den Hartog and the plug method was used to transplant A. griffithii and Posidonia sinuosa Cambridge and Kuo. Transplant size was varied by increasing the number of rhizomes incorporated into a staple and increasing the diameter of plugs. Planting units were transplanted into bare sand, back into the original donor seagrass bed, or into a meadow of Heterozostera tasmanica, which is an important colonizing species. Sprigs of A. griffithii were extracted from a monospecific meadow; tied into bundles of 1, 2, 5, and 10 rhizomes; and planted into unvegetated areas. Half the units were surrounded by plastic mesh and the remainder were unmeshed. All treatments were lost within 99 days after transplanting, and although larger bundles survived better than smaller ones, no significant differences could be attributed to the effects of mesh or sprig size. Plugs of P. sinuosa and A. griffithii were extracted from monospecific meadows using polyvinyl chloride pipe of three diameters, 5, 10, and 15 cm, and planted into unvegetated areas nearby. Half the units were surrounded by plastic mesh and the remainder were unmeshed. Posidonia sinuosa plugs were also placed within a meadow of H. tasmanica (Martens ex Aschers.) den Hartog. Only 60% of A. griffithii plug sizes survived 350 days after transplanting back into the donor bed; however, survival of transplants at unvegetated areas varied considerably, and analysis of variance indicated a significant two‐way interaction between treatment and plug size. Transplants survived better when meshed (90% survived) and survival improved with increasing plug size. Posidonia sinuosa transplants survived poorly (no plugs survived beyond 220 days in bare or meshed treatments) regardless of size. Survival of 10‐ and 15‐cm plugs was markedly better than the 5‐cm plugs in vegetated areas, including the H. tasmanica meadow. The use of large seagrass plugs may be appropriate for transplantation in high‐energy wave environments.     

Evidence for constraint on species coexistence in vegetation of the Park Grass experiment

Repeated patterns, of a type that would be expected to result from limitations to species coexistence (i.e. assembly rules) were sought in the Park Grass experiment. This classical grassland experiment was sampled in two years, using replicated biomass samples. Variance in a number of measures was examined, and compared to the variance expected under appropriate null models, the latter based on assumptions of no interactions between species. In each case, an assembly rule would result in low variance. Examining variance in species richness between quadrats within a treatment, there was no indication of constraint on species co-occurrences; variance in richness was actually greater than expected under the null model, attributable to environmental variation or perhaps positive interactions between species. However, there was control on biomass, evidenced by variance in total biomass (i.e. over all species) within a treatment being significantly lower than expected under the null model. There was no indication of community structure based on guilds (i.e. functional types). Although there was in 1991 some, non-significant, indication of a constant proportion of species from the legume guild, there was no sign of such an effect in 1992. Searches for intrinsic guilds failed to converge. There was no indication at all of constancy in the proportional representation of guilds by biomass. Thus, there is good evidence for competitive control on plant growth, but none for control of species occurrences. There is no convincing evidence for guild structure in this community at the scale sampled. Possible conflict is discussed between the existence of evidence for temporal stability but the absence of evidence for spatial uniformity. It is concluded that most of the mechanisms proposed for temporal stability will not necessarily lead to control on spatial variation. For many mechanisms, this would depend on the spatial scale examined.